


The Miles Traveled

by Heleentje



Series: One Second Per Second [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Canon-compliant for chapters 1 and 2, Canonical Character Death, Chapters 3 and 4 take place within the 'verse of One Second Per Second, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Referenced Child Trafficking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-27 06:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17157068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heleentje/pseuds/Heleentje
Summary: It was a perfectly nice and bright March day when Mizoguchi got promoted to full-time caretaker of a four-year-old.Four snapshots in the life of Mizoguchi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I did promise some additional material in the One Second Per Second universe, so here we go! I'll be updating daily for the next four days. Happy Holidays y'all!

It was a perfectly nice and bright March day when Mizoguchi got promoted to full-time caretaker of a four-year-old. He’d never given much thought to having children. They were fine, he supposed. The littlest Leblanc was a precocious child who liked hanging out in her parents’ labs and was smart enough to know what she could and couldn’t touch. He wasn’t even supposed to be working today, but he’d switched shifts with one of the other guards who had come down with a nasty cold the day before. And now he was fleeing France with a toddler on his arm.

He spared a thought for the apartment he’d left behind with the neighbor’s cat that came begging for food every evening like clockwork. It couldn’t be helped. He didn’t know if anyone was still pursuing them and he wasn’t stopping to find out. He drove for ten hours straight with Sherry asleep in the backseat. When she woke up, he risked parking the car at a supermarket to buy food, drinks and a car seat for Sherry. It wouldn’t do to get arrested just because he couldn’t be bothered to secure her properly.

They’d driven all the way through Switzerland and were now somewhere in Austria. He was hoping to making it to Hungary before he became too tired to drive and had to find a secure place to sleep. It’d get harder once they reached the Schengen border. He had all of their passports, but it wouldn’t be advisable to keep traveling under their real names.

Sherry ate and drank in silence, eyes downcast and focused on the plush bear in her lap.

“When are papan and maman coming?” she asked once she’d finished her apple and carefully wrapped the core in her napkin.

“I fear they will not be coming anymore, Milady,” Mizoguchi said.

Sherry was silent for several seconds. Then she said: “Will they come tomorrow?”

How did one explain the permanence of death to a four-year old? Mizoguchi didn’t say anything.

They did make it to Hungary before Mizoguchi’s eyes started drooping too much to still drive safely. He found a motel where the owner didn’t ask any questions about a Japanese man coming in with a French toddler on his hand. He paid in cash, locked and blocked all the doors and windows to the best of his (not inconsiderable) abilities, then put Sherry to sleep on the bed and spent the next two hours calling in every favor he was owed. Transport for the next day secured, he finally settled down with his back against the bed and facing the door.

He debated staying in Hungary. Just slip under the radar and let their pursuers believe that the Leblanc heiress had died in the fire that had been started to cover up the death of her parents. But they were still far too close to France and they stood out far too much. If Mizoguchi could’ve had his way, he would’ve made a beeline for Japan. But Sherry only spoke French and some smatterings of English, Spanish and German that her parents had seen fit to teach her. What right did he have to drag her off to a country where she knew nothing and understood no one?

No, he needed to find out if they were still being pursued. He needed to eliminate anyone who was. And then he’d need to find their base of operations and dismantle it. After that… He glanced at the sleeping girl, a small figure on a too-large bed, clutching the teddy that once saved her life and contained the reason her parents had died. After that, maybe she could have something resembling a normal childhood again.


	2. Chapter 2

Mizoguchi was 34 years old and he was going to die.

He really shouldn’t have done this. But the tip he’d received had been promising enough to cross the Bratva for. At least, so he’d thought approximately five hours ago, before they had knocked him out and taken him to some remote location to beat the shit out of him.

He thought of Sherry, still in the safehouse with their contacts. He hoped they’d take care of her and knew they wouldn’t. What would happen to her if he wasn’t around to look after her anymore? Would she be kicked out to fend for herself in an unfamiliar city? Handed over for ransom to the mysterious Yliaster? Or… Or worse?

He tried to fight, but they had him tied up securely and he’d been bleeding sluggishly but steadily from a wound in his side where a bullet had grazed him hours ago. Whenever he moved, it sent sharp stings of pain through him.

Everything about this situation could have come straight out of the courses he’d taken years ago, the ones about resisting torture. From the completely generic storage room with the one stack of crates that looked like it was on the verge of toppling over, to the bog-standard questions they’d been bombarding him with: “Who told you, who’s working with you, what do you want?”

Mizoguchi hadn’t bothered to answer any of them so far. The tip had come through a convoluted network of contacts and he had no idea where it had originated. He wasn’t working with anyone, unless you counted the ten-year-old who just yesterday had been whining about her maths homework. And unless they could bring him the heads of Yliaster on a platter, they had nothing he wanted.

He wasn’t expecting anyone to come for him. No one would risk their life for a foreigner they could only barely tolerate. If he wanted to make it out of here, he’d need to do it himself. And his chances were diminishing with every passing second. The door in front of him opened and more people entered. They didn’t close the door again. Great. They wanted the rest of the building to hear him. Mizoguchi closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds, the only sign of weakness they were going to get out of him. When he opened them again, a woman was barking instructions in Russian too fast for him to understand. Half of the group took off, leaving only three people in the room with him. It should have made the odds more manageable, but as long as he was tied up and bleeding, he had no chance of escape.

“Last chance,” the woman said casually, her English flawless. “Who led you here?”

Ugh. Mizoguchi opened his mouth to reply when a flash of blonde in the hallway leading up to the room caught his attention. Ice-cold fear coursed through his entire being. _No, it couldn’t be._ She couldn’t possibly have been as stupid as that.

But Sherry entered the room, hands clasped together demurely. “Excuse me?” she called out in English. Mizoguchi frantically tried to signal with his eyes that she needed to get out _now_ , but the gang members had already turned on her, guns squarely aimed at her chest. Mizoguchi started on the ties with frantic energy, but it’d be too late—!”

“Who the hell is that?” one of the men snapped. Sherry was frozen in fear at the sight of the guns, her eyes darting all across the room. She nervously clutched at the sleeve of her blouse. It wasn’t the one Mizoguchi had laid out for her that morning. In fact, he didn’t think he’d ever seen it before.

“I— Mrs. Petrovskaya just arrived and she sent me to find Miss… Miss… Lebedeva?” she tripped over the unfamiliar names. Mizoguchi worked harder at the knots and finally, something gave.

The woman relaxed infinitesimally and lowered her gun to point at the floor. The men around her followed her example.

“Did she? You one of her kids, girl?”

Sherry nodded nervously, taking a few steps past the stacks of crates, then said: “Yes, miss.”

The woman nodded approvingly. “She’s taught you well. One of the new batch, I’m sure,” she said as an aside. The man to her right hummed in agreement.

“She’ll fetch a pretty price.”

Mizoguchi’s blood boiled. The first knot slipped loose.

“Well, you two deal with that guy over there. I’ll go see what Petrovskaya wants.”

She kept talking in English, probably to intimidate him. Mizoguchi was far too angry to still be intimidated.

Sherry walked ahead of the woman. And then, just as they passed through two stacks of crates, she tripped and fell. The woman was too late to avoid her and tumbled over her in an ungainly heap. The stack of crates teetered as she clutched it to get back up.

“You stupid girl—!”

Sherry threw her full weight against the stack. It toppled.

The woman barely had the time to scream as she was crushed. Sherry dodged to the other side of the collapsing crates. She was unharmed, but now the two men were rushing at her, hampered by the destruction she’d caused. The last knot slipped loose. Mizoguchi was up and tackling the first one before they even noticed. He made short work of the man, wrenching his neck to the side with a decisive snap and gritting his teeth against the pain that action caused. The other man had decided he was the bigger threat and came at him.

There was a shot. Sherry screamed.

The man staggered, clutching a wound in his leg. Mizoguchi eliminated him within seconds and finally had the time to look up.

Sherry was still alive, thank god. She was clutching her right shoulder, the woman’s gun in her hand. Had she fired the gun? The recoil had to have dislocated her shoulder. He’d never even allowed her to touch a gun, let alone fire one.

That was something he’d worry about later. Within seconds, the entire place would be swarming with Bratva. They needed to get out and the door was not an option.

There was a window, half hidden by a large container. It was the best chance they had. He broke through it and lifted Sherry through to the alleyway on the other side, then climbed through himself, hissing at the pain that action caused. Just a bit longer…

Sherry was crying silently, but her eyes were hard. Mizoguchi didn’t speak until he was sure no one was following them. Only then, five blocks and two metro stations further, did he turn to her.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Sherry narrowed her eyes, still red-rimmed from crying. “You weren’t coming back.”

“So you charge into Bratva territory?”

“I didn’t charge. I found a way in.”

Only now did Mizoguchi recognize the clothes she was wearing. He’d seen them on the servants when he’d been brought into the house. Sherry’d skillfully folded them to make them look only slightly too big on her.

“Milady, why? They could have killed you.”

Sherry met his gaze and Mizoguchi was struck by her eyes. The green was her father’s, but Mr. Leblanc had been a calm and considerate man. His eyes had never looked so sharp or so fierce. They weren’t her mother’s either, highly intelligent and always kind. For a moment, Mizoguchi didn’t recognize the child in front of him.

“I won’t allow them to take you too,” Sherry said clearly. Mizoguchi felt like he’d just been punched again.

“All right.” He breathed. “All right. But I’m teaching you how to fight.”

Sherry smiled like that was all she’d ever wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place somewhere before [chapter 13](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172297/chapters/35316954) of [One Second Per Second](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172297). Reading One Second Per Second is not strictly necessary to understand this, but it will help greatly.

Mizoguchi’s weekly shopping had become a lot more time-consuming with two extra adult men around. Not that either Bruno or Paradox were picky eaters — in fact, their near-complete lack of preferences worried him. But they did eat a lot if they could get away with it. He often wondered about their lives. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was that throughout all their years on the run, Sherry had never gone hungry. These guys clearly hadn’t had that luxury.

He hesitated near the candy aisle. Sherry wasn’t very big on candy and neither was he, but he ended up adding some stuff to his cart. Bruno, at least, seemed to have something of a sweet tooth and he was fairly sure Paradox was the one responsible for the disappearing chocolate.

When he made his way home, the place was deserted. Sherry and Bruno had mentioned training that morning and Paradox probably tagged along. He unpacked the groceries and set about making dinner. Nothing complicated, but he was debating making chocolate mousse.

The team came in when he was putting the vegetables to boil, windswept but content. They greeted him and he waved them off to get washed up before dinner. Paradox stayed behind, settling in the living room with his laptop.

Mizoguchi spent a minute setting the table and checking on the vegetables, but they’d still need a bit of time to boil and there wasn’t anything else he could do, so he joined Paradox in the other room. The man was running a hand through his hair, frowning when it caught on a knot.

“Do you need a brush?” Mizoguchi asked. Paradox shook his head absently.

“No, I have one.”

“Why don’t you braid your hair?”

“I usually do, it’s just getting too long.”

Mizoguchi could sympathize. Sherry hadn’t needed him to braid her hair in year, except for when she was in need of a haircut and couldn’t properly do it herself anymore.

“I’ll braid it for you.”

Paradox paused halfway through a tangle and looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Why not?”

Paradox sighed, put-upon, but he obediently closed his laptop and let Mizoguchi get a brush.

“Any preference?”

“Knock yourself out.”

Mizoguchi started brushing. Paradox’s hair had seen better days: it was dry and brittle near the end and he desperately needed a trim. Those split ends would have to go.

“Do you use conditioner?” he asked.

“No.”

“You should.” Mizoguchi winced when he hit another persistent tangle. Paradox’s eyes tightened but he didn’t move.

“Be glad I could get my hands on shampoo at all.”

Mizoguchi wanted to point out that there was no reason for him to go without, not in this time period. Paradox’s future hadn’t arrived yet and they had more than enough money to provide for basic necessities. He had just opened his mouth to do so when Sherry entered the room, dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. Mizoguchi held Paradox’s head still when he turned to look.

“Conditioner? Use mine,” she said. “It’s good for long hair. Mizoguchi can get you some when he goes shopping next time, right?”

“Right.” Mizoguchi put down the brush and contemplated Paradox’s hair, trying to decide what to do.

“Do a French braid,” Sherry said. She sat down at the table across from Paradox and grinned at him. “Who knows, maybe you’ll finally learn to speak it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for [chapter 20 of One Second Per Second](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172297/chapters/37011519)! This one really won't make sense without reading that first.

Mizoguchi wondered, not for the first time, whether they made the right decision in allying themselves with Paradox and Bruno. They had their answers now. An accident, a lack of communication. That was the only reason why Sherry’s parents were killed. He wanted to laugh at the pointlessness of it all. He didn’t regret coming to the Ark Cradle, but now all he wanted was to get Sherry off it and away from this godforsaken place.

Paradox and Bruno at least looked like they were sorry. Mizoguchi had caught Bruno on the verge of apologizing to him, but they both knew that a mere apology would never be able to undo the damage they had wrought. It was too late.

And then Paradox had fainted and the Machine Emperors had appeared in the middle of the Ark Cradle. He’d picked up Paradox and carried him to safety without really thinking about it. He worried. Paradox and Bruno weren’t his kids the way Sherry was. If their stories were to believed, they had memories of a life far longer than Mizoguchi’s. But they were so young and so hurt. They were like Sherry in many ways, too damaged by a world that had set out to bring them down at every turn. Between all their plans, they seemed to have forgotten to take care of themselves.

If Mizoguchi had had his way, none of them would still be here. Paradox was barely breathing for several long minutes, during which he fretted and Sherry kept watch, face expressionless. Whatever she and Paradox had, they both seemed to enjoy it. He could only hope this wouldn’t be yet another loss she’d be faced with.

But Paradox woke up, looking stronger than before and ready to chase off the Machine Emperor that had found their hideout. They were all still alive, even though Bruno was also hurt and the three people that had been Yliaster had somehow turned into one. The city started shooting again, the little girl on Team 5D’s died and was revived, and then they were moving through the crumbling Ark.

Mizoguchi could only hope that Z-one was right and that they’d be safe at the center of it. The city was going to be destroyed and no one seemed to care enough to stop it. Mizoguchi brought up the rear of the group, Sherry and Paradox right ahead of him. They progressed easily enough. The main reactor was only minutes away. When they made it, Z-one had assured them, they’d be safe. Sherry would be safe. They’d be able to regroup and figure out what to do now that the threat of Yliaster had been eliminated.

Was there really a chance to save Mr. and Mrs. Leblanc? Would Sherry really be able to let go of everything going on now? All he wanted for her — for all of them — was a quiet life where they could be free of all this mess. This wasn’t the kind of life anyone should lead.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Bruno and Paradox to give up on their future. He was terrified that he wouldn’t be able to convince Sherry either. All he wanted was some peace and quiet.

The Ark reverberated with yet another shot. And Mizoguchi felt the floor crumble and knew exactly what was going to happen. He saw exactly where the Ark was still structurally sound and knew Sherry and Paradox could still make it.

He… He couldn’t.

So he pushed Sherry forward. He shoved Paradox the last few centimeters. And the floor gave out beneath him and he fell. He saw the Ark. He saw it growing smaller and smaller, taking Sherry out of his reach for the first time in years.

Then he hit the ground and didn’t see anything anymore.


End file.
